Lights, Camera, Action with Tolulope Odebunmi

Acting, Really?

Acting to me is like doing life with the same spirit but in a different body. I am able to bring a specific character to life, not because I'm good at it, but because there's a story to tell.

Each story has its own character, different and distinct from the previous.

Sometimes I act on the lighter note, bringing the cheerful character to life. The one with a carefree attitude. But then, there's something about darker stories. It seems to be calling out to me.

Darker stories go deeper than other light-hearted stories because there is a connectivity we often feel with them. The human mind is inherently dark.

Creative Process

When I am given a role, I try as much as possible to create a mental picture of that character. The language to be used, the facial expression and all of that. When the script is to be a male character who is in emotional entanglement with a spouse, I bring my emotions to the forefront and allow it take over.

How Do you Write Your Scripts?

When I write the scripts, I try to make them as easy as possible. This doesn't mean that the contents are watered down. No. A good script must be relatable, so that actors and actresses can have no problem bringing it to life.

I also use day-to-day interactions, providing nuances that make it easy for the audience watching to relate to it.

Relatability is key in my own version of scriptwriting.

What Are The Processes Of Creating Your Own Characters? Does It Have Anything To Do With Your Heritage?

Uhm, *chuckles. I am an African man. A proud one at that. I strive very hard to tell the African story, to make the African struggles known worldwide and it is on this basis that I create my characters. Characters who are in tune with the languages that would be used during film production.

However, you cannot tell a story to the owners of that story, no matter how fascinating it might be, many times, without it sounding monotonous in their ears. So, as much as I strive to make the story African, I also picture how it will look on the global stage.

How the world would view the African story without judgmental stares and concluding “black juju” or backwardness.

Every tribe has its own story.

Entertainment to you, Moral Lessons to me.

My audiences are spread around the globe. From little children to young adults and old people . Even though the primary aim of these stories is entertainment, it does not negate the fact that there is always a moral lesson to be taken home.

In the process of sitting back, enjoying the stories and cooing at them, there is a social vice I'm aiming at deconstructing through my stories.

Feedback? Or I Know it all? 

No man is an Island. There is a popular saying; ‘It takes a community to raise a child.’ My scripts are my children, and so when I write, I give out to second eyes. And my partners and colleagues are always ready to be my beta readers, giving me feedback and constructive criticism.

What Are Your Top Three Projects?

The first is Brethren, and I played the role of Lagos Shepherd. Funny name.

This role was one of a kind. To understand the character I was given, I had to befriend the area boys in our local environment so I could fit in better.

Their facial expressions, the way they spoke, the strong voices, helped me fit into character properly. Also, the lingo used around them was a lot more different than the normal ones.

The second is Madam KoiKoi and I played the character, Ige.

It was set in a Navy Secondary school and I was a teacher. It was an exhilarating experience, bringing back stories told to us while we were much younger about boarding schools. I also met some amazing characters some of which includes Actress Ireti Doyle. A beautiful woman in and out.

The story brought nostalgia to me.

The Third is Bottled Up and I played as Dami. The cover for Bottled up was a distinct one. I mean, we made the cover literal, so it would shed more light on the name.

It centered around the struggles of upcoming artists and how they were boxed into corners in a bid to go global, with producers taking advantage of these artists.

Like I said previously, I aim at deconstructing social vices in my stories, and in Bottled Up, I spoke against hard drugs consumption.

And as a literal hero, *coughs, I died in the movie.

From interviewing Tolulope Odebunmi, the film culture in Africa which is already sailing high, is about to experience a higher shift where entertainment meets education.

Tolulope Odebunmi’s stories aim at reshaping systems, values and improving ethical responsibility. You can follow Tolulope Odebunmi on Instagram @Zexytolu.